Nokia unveiled its first Windows phone Lumia 800 running on the latest Windows Phone 7.5 (Code named as Mango). It looks very much like Nokia N9 in design, but with a slightly smaller display (3.7”) and faster processor. It has 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM 8255 processor. iPhone 4S also carries the same design of iPhone 4, and runs iOS 5, but it is twice faster with a 1GHz dual core processor and a 8 mega pixels camera, instead of the 5 mega pixels in iPhone 4.

Comparing Nokia Lumia 800 with iPhone 4S, both are two different designs, but both are having 3.7 inches display and attractive in their own ways. Nokia is bulkier than iPhone 4S, but the weight is almost same. In addition, iPhone 4S also has three variations based on internal storage, that is 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB, whereas Lumia 800 has only one with 16 GB storage, but an 8 GB microSD card is included.

One of the major difference is the software, Lumia 800 is a Windows Phone while iPhones 4S runs iOS 5. Both have many useful features that are comparable, though the applications are different and the performance too will vary. The new Siri, which is an intelligent voice action application, is the main attraction in iPhone 4S. Third party voice action applications like Vlingo are available with Lumia 800, but performance wise Siri is unique. For applications, App store has much more applications than the Nokia’s Ovi store and Microsoft’s MarketPlace.

A Full comparison of the specifications is given below.

Nokia introducing Lumia 800, its first Windows Phone

Apple introducing iPhone 4S

iPhone 4S

The much speculated iphone 4S was released on October 4th 2011. The iPhone which has bench marked standards in the smart phone hemisphere has raised the expectation more. Will iPhone 4S deliver to that? Having one look at the device one can understand that the appearance of iPhone 4S remains similar to iPhone 4; the much raved predecessor. The device is available in both black and white. The glass and stainless steel built that most find appealing remains intact. The newly released iPhone 4S remains 4.5” of height and 2.31” of width the dimensions of iPhone 4S remains similar to its predecessor iPhone 4. The thickness of the device is 0.37” as well regardless of the improvement done to the camera. There for, iPhone 4S remains the same portable slim device everyone love. iPhone 4S weighs 140g. The slight increase of device is maybe due to the many new improvements that we will discuss later. iPhone 4S includes a 3.5” touch screen with 960 x 640 resolution. The screen also includes the usual fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating. The display marketed by Apple as ‘retina display’ has a contrast ratio of 800:1. The device comes with sensors such as an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate, three-axis gyro sensor, a proximity sensor for auto turn-off and an ambient light sensor.

The processing power is one of the many improved features on iPhone 4S than its predecessor. The iPhone 4S is powered by a Dual core A5 processor. According to Apple, the processing power is increased by 2 X and enables graphics that are 7 times faster and the energy efficient processor will improve battery life as well. While the RAM on the device is still not officially listed the device is available in 3 versions of storage; 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Apple has not allowed a micro SD slot to expand the storage. In terms of connectivity, iPhone 4S has HSPA+14.4Mbps, UMTS/WCDMA, CDMA, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. At the moment, iPhone 4S is the only smart phone which can switch between two antennas to transmit and receive. Location based services are available through Assisted GPS, digital compass, Wi-Fi and GSM.

iPhone 4S is loaded with iOS 5 and usual applications one can find on an iPhone, such as FaceTime. The newest addition to the uniquely designed applications on iPhone is ‘Siri’; a voice assistant which can understand certain keywords we speak and virtually do everything on the device. ‘Siri’ is capable of scheduling meetings, checking weather, setting timer, sending & reading messages and etc. While voice search and voice command assisted applications were available in the market ‘Siri’ is quite a unique approach and sounds more user-friendly. iPhone 4S comes with iCloud as well, enabling users to manage content across multiple devices. iCloud wirelessly pushes files across multiple devices managed together. Applications for iPhone 4 S will be available on Apple App Store; however it will take some time for the number of applications supporting iOS 5 to increase.

The rear facing camera is another area improved on iPhone 4S. iPhone 4S is equipped with an improved camera with 8 mega pixels. The mega pixel value itself has taken a huge leave from its predecessor. The camera is coupled with LED flash as well. The camera comes with useful features such as autofocus, tap to focus, face detection on still images and geo tagging. The camera is capable of HD video capture at 1080P at about 30 frames per second. In cameras it is important to have a larger aperture since it allows the lens to collect more light. The aperture in the lens of camera in iPhone 4S has been increased allowing more light to come in however, harmful IR rays is filtered away. The enhanced camera is capable of capturing quality images in low light as well as bright light. The front facing camera is a VGA camera and it’s tightly coupled with FaceTime; the video conferencing application on iPhone.

iPhones are generally good on their battery life. Naturally, users will have higher expectations for this latest addition to the family. According to Apple, iPhone 4S will have up to 8 hours of continuous talk time with 3G on while on GSM only it will score a massive 14 hours. The device is rechargeable via USB as well. The standby time on iPhone 4S is up to 200 hours. In conclusion, the battery life is satisfactory on iPhone 4S. The preorder of iPhone 4S starts from 8 October 2011, and will be available in US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and Japan from 14 October 2011. Worldwide availability starts from 28 October 2011. iPhone 4S is available for purchase in different variants. One will be able to get their hands on an iPhone 4S device starting from $199 to $399 on contract. The price without contract (unlocked) is Canadian $649/ Pounds 499/ A$799/ Euro 629.